Bahraini funeral turns into anti-regime protest

The funeral procession of a Bahraini man, who was killed in a bomb blast earlier this week, has reportedly turned into another protest rally against the ruling Al Khalifa regime.

The protesters took to the streets of the western village of Karzakan on Friday following the funeral of Abdul Karim al-Basri, who was killed on December 9 in a bomb explosion near a mosque in the village.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the Manama regime. Clashes reportedly took place between protesters and police, with officers firing tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

Bahrain’s ruling dynasty has been facing more than three years of protests and unrest. Thousands of protesters have held numerous demonstrations since mid-February 2011 in the streets of Bahrain, calling on the royal family to relinquish power.

In March 2011, troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were deployed to Bahrain to help Manama quash the anti-regime protests.

Scores of Bahrainis have been killed and hundreds of others injured and arrested in the ongoing crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

The Persian Gulf Arab state has been under criticism by human rights groups for its harsh crackdown on anti-government protesters.

In June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights censured the Manama regime for human rights violations. A total of 46 members of the international body expressed deep concern over the Al Khalifa regime’s crackdown on peaceful protesters.